Let Me Tell You a Story...

"Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale of all."
       —Hans Christian Andersen

Do you know someone who is a good storyteller? Someone who can paint a picture with words or punctuate the point with that perfect metaphor; someone who embellishes the story just enough - but not too much; someone who uses attention getting introductions; someone who includes details to develop the plot, characters and setting so you feel like you know just who or what he/she is talking about? Let me introduce you to such a storyteller.

I have a Ford store in Winner, SD. I live 50 miles away in Chamberlain, SD. I don't read the Winner Advocate (local weekly newspaper) like I should. Recently, I was in the store and saw the latest edition sitting on the counter. As I took time to look through it, I saw a column written by someone I know quite well - an employee, Kirk Bainter, the F&I manager in my Ford store.

I read the column and enjoyed the story very much. I inquired about how long he'd been writing these and where I could read past columns. I learned that he had written a dozen of these stories on a wide-ranging variety of topics. They appear in the paper on a bi-weekly basis and some of these were available on the Advocate's website, but that not all were.

I asked Kirk for copies of his other stories. As I read them, I found they reminded me of events and characters from my youth. I really enjoyed reading them.

I encouraged Kirk to share them on a blog - to start his own. So he has created "Story Time with Kirk" which is simply a collection of the stories he has written for the Winner Advocate.

Kirk is somewhat of a character. I think his stories illustrate that quite well. But if you want quick, concrete evidence of that, this video proclaims that very loudly.

He has granted me permission to post one of his stores here.

She Screamed for Ice Cream

by Kirk Bainter

One bad decision can lead to another and amplify it's impact exponentially when done with my kind of precision. This can make certain situations more memorable than others. Take for instance my recent trip to the convenience store to pick up my fresh made pizza order. I arrived long before the pizza was done, as this is my normal mode of operation. I was patiently standing by for any sign of the delicious bacon-cheeseburger pizza that would begin to peek out of the 503-degree conveyor oven. I believe I was the only customer in the store at the time.

Fate changes with every heartbeat, blink or decision we make like the wind changes speed and direction for reasons most of us don't understand. I wasn't thinking about fate or repercussions or anything but pizza when the young father and his two children came into the store that night. I noticed the father of the two precious youngsters head directly to the men's room, leaving the two kids somewhat unattended. 

The boy was about seven or eight years old. He went directly to the gum/baseball card area and was quickly entranced within it's power. The little girl was five. She had to be five. There is a certain look all five-year-olds have. It is unmistakable, undeniable and inarguable. She was five. Probably bored from riding in a car for some time, the little girl was peering upward and focusing on nothing in particular when she turned to walk up the same aisle as me. I was facing the goodie machines. You know, the soda fountain, freezy machine, coffee pots and oh yes, the ice cream machine.

She strolled along the aisle carefree and humming an unpublished concerto. But, all that changed as she neared me. She looked to her right and instantly radar locked on the ice-cream machine. I wondered for a moment what the attraction was. As I looked closer at the machine, the answer became quite clear. A smile came to me as I noticed there was a two to three inch ice cream stalactite hanging from the dispenser nozzle. 

With little hesitation she reached out to obtain the small hanging treat. At the precise moment her index finger made contact with the ice cream, the compressor that runs the cooling system of the machine kicked on with a violent roar. 

She reacted with a quick tensing and small jump back. Thinking she may be responsible for breaking something or setting off some type of ice-cream machine theft alarm, she snapped her head to the left, looked directly at me with eyes wide and jaw dropped. I could have looked away and left well enough alone, but no....not me. I looked at her, then at the machine, then back at her and said in an authoritative and accusing tone, "What did you do?"

See, I think I'm a really funny guy. That was supposed to be a really funny thing. I simply failed to consider my audience. The next few seconds were those kind where you wish you had a rewind button to hit.  First, there was a small inward breath, then a large lung filling gasp followed by a second of silence. A moment like that can seem to last a long time when you know the next thing that happens will be very, very bad.

At first I thought the sound I heard was an ambulance siren at full screech. Unfortunately, it was not. During mid-scream, I became aware that I was alone in an aisle with a young girl screaming her head off within five feet of me. I also knew it probably wouldn't look good to any amateur child protection advocates that may have just stumbled into the store. 

Not knowing what to do, I simply ran. Not perhaps the best quick decision I've made in my life. As it turns out, there just isn't any law against being stupid or being a jerk to a little kid. I'd like to see it stay that way for the next "funny thing" I decide to do.


Kirk's stories appear bi-weekly in the newspaper. If you need a bit of this light-hearted commentary occasionally, you can subscribe to the Advocate or you can visit "Story Time with Kirk Bainter" .

August 2011 SDADA Column

I hope you saw the email from NADA chairman Stephen Wade to directors that I forwarded to Myron and asked that he send to SDADA members. The email indicated NADA has commissioned an independent study that will take an in-depth look at the issue of manufacturer facility image programs. This one resounding concern is heard over and over and from all parts of the country, regardless of dealership size or brand.

As Stephen Wade put it in his email to directors: “The perception today is that facility investment decisions dealers must make are often based on subjective factors: opinions, pressure and personalities, which is no way to guide such significant spending. NADA has undertaken this fact-based study to look closely at the various factors that drive the return on investment of facility programs, both positively and negatively, in order to move the facilities investment decision onto an informed, rational and fact-driven footing. In other words, we want to find out the truth so these important decisions can be based on facts, not perceptions. The study will be completed in the coming months, with a detailed White Paper by the end of the year.”

I have made my opinion on this issue well known in this space several times. I hope this is the first step for NADA to fully engage on this topic.

Dodd-Frank Law Takes Effect with Implications for F and I Office

It's hard to believe it's been a year since Congress passed one of the biggest regulatory overhauls our nation has ever seen. I'm talking about the so-called Dodd-Frank law (also known as the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act), which takes aim at lending standards that Congress members believe led to the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009.

Thanks to our successful grass-roots campaign in 2010, dealer-assisted financing was saved from additional federal oversight under the Dodd-Frank law. But auto loans, and more specifically the processes our F&I offices use to issue them, have been affected by the new law, which includes several provisions related to disclosure of credit terms and action a creditor must take when turning down a loan application.

Here are two big changes every dealer should know about and some ways NADA is helping us comply with these new rules.

1. New credit score disclosures for adverse action notices – Starting July 21, creditors who use a credit score in taking adverse action (such as turning down a request for credit) are required to include the consumer’s credit score in the notices they provide to customers. To help dealers comply with this new rule, NADA has updated its “Dealer Guide to Adverse Action Notices,” explaining when an adverse action notice must be issued, what the notice must say, when dealers can rely on a finance source’s notice and other important issues. This guide also includes a model adverse-action notice that NADA developed for dealerships based on the government’s model notice. To download the guide, sign in to or sign up for NADA University at www.NADAuniversity.com, select “Resource Toolbox,” then “Driven,” and “Legal/Regulatory.”

2. Changes to the Risk-Based Pricing Rule – Also included in the Dodd-Frank law were changes to the Federal Risk-Based Pricing Rule (RBPR), which requires dealers and other businesses that use credit reports and extend credit to consumers to provide a new notice, known as a Risk-Based Pricing Notice, to customers who receive credit on terms that are less favorable than the terms received by a “substantial proportion” of their other credit customers. (Note, however, that the changes to the RBPR do not affect dealers who issue Credit Score Disclosure Exception Notices in lieu of Risk-Based Pricing Notices.) NADA’s “Dealer Guide to the Risk-Based Pricing Rule” has been updated to account for these changes. To download the guide, sign in to or sign up for NADA University at www.NADAuniversity.com, select “Resource Toolbox,” then “Driven,” and “Legal/Regulatory.”

In addition to the guides, NADA University has produced a brief video on the changes featuring NADA attorney Brad Miller. You can also view the archived webinar “New Credit Score Disclosures for Adverse Action and Risk-Based Pricing Notices” at www.NADAuniversity.com in the Learning Hub under “Legal/Regulatory.”